Amnesia
by libowie
Summary: [It seemed that the spirits liked playing tricks on Sokka...] Chapter 7 up! Because even the Spirits need a good laugh sometimes.
1. Amnesia

Yeah, I know its short, but this is only the first chapter of my second fic.my second fic. Please give me lots of feedback. Ok, so I was watching the season finale for the book two and my brother pointed something out to me. When Katara was in the cave with Zuko she offered to heal his scar, and he said it couldn't be healed. Then she pulls out her "blessed water" and said she was saving it for a special ocassion. A few episodes ago Jet was injured so badly he supposably died, and Katara couldn't heal him? Is a dieing boy not a good enough reason to use your water, or did she really hate Jet that much? Let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar : The Last Airbender

Chapter 1: Amnesia 

It was a beautiful moon. The night's clouds were very wispy, so the moonlight shone clearly in the darkness of the sky. Aang only wished his friends could share the spectacular view with him… especially Katara. He sighed and allowed his gaze to shift back over to where his two best friends in the entire world lay sleeping. As he looked at Katara's sleeping form something didn't seem right. It looked as though she was having a bad dream. Aang slowly approached the sleeping girl in hopes to comfort her if she woke. He crouched beside her with a confused look on his face. She definitely looked uncomfortable.

Aang held his breath as her eyes began to open, slowly at first- then they shot upas she stared wide-eyed at Aang and began to scream. Aang, obviously surprised by her reaction, jumped back, even more confused. Katara grabbed a nearby rock and hurled it at Aang, who was able to block it with a small gust of wind.

"Who are you!" she demanded.

"It's me- Aang!" he said reproaching her.

Armed with another rock Katara threatened the confused boy. "You had better get outta here or I'll call my big brother Sokka on you, he has a boomerang you know!"

Sokka, having been woken up by the sound of Katara's screaming, was already at the scene. Grabbing the rock from her hand he drowsily asked his young sister what was wrong. Katara turned to him explaining how she had woken up to this creepy kid staring at her.

There was a silence followed by Sokka (who was now wide awake) gently asking her

"Katara, what do you remember?"

"Dad left for the war a few weeks ago" she replied trailing off. Looking around a few more times she turned back to her brother, fear now claming her usually crystal blue eyes. "Sokka, where are we?"

Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, Sokka slowly began his explanation. "Okay… uhhmm… I don't really know how to say this, but…. what you said…. that happened two years ago. You… you're kinda 14 now."

"Ha ha… very funny Sokka" Katara smiled, but when no one smiled back she became very uncomfortable.

"Katara, this is Aang" Sokka explained "He's the avatar, and we've been helping him train."

Katara slowly turned her gaze from Sokka to the boy still crouching next to her. Slowly extending a shaky hand she touched Aang's face, letting her hand rest on his cheek. It almost seemed like she was making sure he was really there. Her face was unreadable, making both Sokka and Aang uneasy waiting for her reply. After all, it was a lot of information for one girl to gain in about 5 minutes. With her hand still on Aang's cheek a huge grin spread across her face.

She turned to Sokka and practically shouting she told him "See, I told you he was still alive! You said that he died a long tome ago but I knew better. I knew you would come" and with that she threw her arms around his neck. Sokka was obviously relived by his sister's joyful reaction, and he could tell by the look on Aang's face that he felt the same way.

Yeah, Sokka could defiantly see relief in Aang's expression, and a hint of something else.


	2. Happiness

**Chapter 2: Happiness**

Sitting by the edge of the river Aang amused himself by watching Katara marvel at the blossoming trees in the clearing where they had made camp. _'If the last thing that Katara remembers is the South Pole, then she wouldn't ever remember seeing the trees' _Aang thought to himself. _'That explains why she is acting so funny.'_ Aang felt a smile creep across his face as he continued to watch his crush.

Pulling on Sokka's sleeve Katara desperately tried to get the older boy's attention.

"Can I touch it" she asked pointing to a tree.

"Uhh... yeah, go ahead" Sokka absently replied. He seemed to be lost in thought.

Aang couldn't help but laugh as he watched his friend cautiously approach the tree. Touching the rough bark she jumped back and let out a small shriek before rushing back to hide behind Sokka.

"It won't bite, you know" Aang said with a smile as he headed over to where the two water tribe siblings stood.

"Well… I didn't know, okay?!" Katara huffed, before splitting into peals of laughter at how silly she must have looked. Slowly coming back out from her hiding spot beside Sokka she noticed Aang was staring at her.

'_She looks different with her hair down'. _Aang found himself thinking about Katara again. _'It makes her look younger, but still just as beautiful' _He found that lately he began to stare at Katara just as much as he thought about her. Luckily for him he never got caught, that is, until now…

"What… why are you staring?"

"Huh? Oh, I was just umm…err"

Luckily for Aang Sokka snapped out of his trace and saved him at the last minute.

"Hey Katara," the warrior said, drawing the girl's attention away from the blushing monk in front of her to her older brother.

"While we were traveling you mastered water bending, do you think you can still do all the moves you learned?"

"I mastered it! Wow! Why didn't you tell me earlier? "

Looking from Aang to Sokka Katara declared she would try. Stepping into the ankle deep water (after stripping to her underclothes) she closed her eyes in concentration.

After giving Sokka a look of thanks Aang jumped in after Katara. "Try the octopus" he suggested.

Katara nodded in response as Aang prepared to shoot ice at her. "Ready" he asked, not wanting to start without a warning in fear of hurting her.

Once again Katara nodded, and successfully blocked the ice using the "octopus". When the move was complete she broke concentration, allowing the water to drench her. Still unaware of her extreme sogginess Katara jumped for joy.

"Did you see me, did you _see_ me!"

"Yeah Katara" Aang said with a smile nearly as big as hers "that was great, looks like you remember"

Plodding through the water she neared Aang and threw her arms around him, wrapping him up in a big, happy hug. She got him soaking wet, but Aang didn't mind at all. In fact, Aang kind of liked this side of Katara. He could really get used to all the hugs. After a bit of pleading with Sokka the three stayed at the river "practicing" for the rest of the day.

Back at camp Katara spent a good portion of the time playing with her "new" friend Appa. During this time Aang decided to confront Sokka.

"She seems… happier" he said, eyes locked on Katara.

"She was always like this before she let the war get to her. In fact, she was a lot like you. You know, the adventurous, annoying, happy- go –lucky kind of person" Sokka replied, also watching the young girl play with Appa. After a moments hesitation he added "no offence"

Later that night as everyone prepared to sleep the boys clued Katara in on some of the things she missed; making sure it was only the good things. Aang wanted to keep her like this as long as possible. He liked seeing her happy.

Tired from a long day Aang allowed himself to hover in the pleasant state you often get right before a long sleep. He let his thoughts wander freely, though it was useless because they all eventually led back to Katara. He thought about the talk he had with Sokka, and he thought about how long Katara's memory would be gone. Finally all of his thinking took it's tole on the young avatar and he began to slip out of consciousness.

The last thing Aang heard before he drifted off was Katara speaking to Sokka.

"I'm real glad we found the Avatar."


	3. Toph

**Chapter 3: Toph**

Aang woke to find he was the only one at camp. Remembering the events from yesterday he wondered if Katara had gotten her memory back. Today was the day that Toph was coming back from a visit to her parents, and realizing no one had told Katara of Toph Aang concluded that it would be an interesting day.

Suddenly Aang was hurled into the air when the earth beneath his feet shot up. Already guessing what happened Aang gathered himself up and turned to greet his friend.

"Hey Toph"

"Hi there Twinkle Toes, Did ya' miss me?!" there was a pause before she added "Where's everyone one else?"

"I- well actually I was wondering the same thing." Aang answered truthfully.

Just then there was a shriek heard from the river followed by Sokka's voice calling for Aang.

"I'm guessing over there" Toph said, facing the direction of the river before the two took off after Sokka's voice. The path to the river didn't seem to take as long when they walked down there last night. In fact, they set up camp purposely near the river so they would have easy access, but running there Aang began to think it was one of the longest journeys of his life. _'Please let them be okay… that's all I ask. Let them be okay'_

When they finally reached the river they saw a small band of fire nation solider that had been patrolling the area. Apparently the gang had misread the maps and traveled closer to the fire nation than they intended.

Toph knew that Sokka was a capable warrior and that Katara was a master water bender. She was aware that her friends were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, but she also knew how protective Aang got, so she wasn't surprised when he jumped in between the soldiers and where his friends were standing. If fact this just about how every battle started for them. Aang would jump into the middle of everything, and then Katara, Toph, and Sokka would join him. Except this time, she noticed, Katara was acting different. Acting, scared.

Katara was completely freaked out. The last time she had seen any fire nation soldiers was when they invaded her village and killed her mother. Now they were trying to kill her and her friends, and it was becoming too much for her to handle. When the soldiers spotted Aang's tattoos one shouted

"There, that boy is the Avatar!"

With that the men all rushed at Aang, preparing to attack. Seeing all the soldiers rush at her friend scared Katara out of her wits, and her emotions got the best of her. Without meaning to she made the river they were standing in explode, and water shot out everywhere.

Although they got soaked, the gang was thankful for the cover that gave them the element of surprised. Becoming more confident with her "new" bending abilities Katara was able to knock out a few soldiers herself.

Fortunately for Toph the area was quite rocky, so she had a very large upper hand. Because they were simply a few soldiers, with very bad weapons and almost no skill they weren't very hard to beat.

Once all of the fire nation soldiers had been knocked out (the gaang tried not to hurt them too badly) Toph pushed the four back to camp using her bending. Sokka couldn't help but note how strong the small girl was… He shook the thought away and turned back to his friends stating what was on everyone's mind.

"We should get outta here"

Looking at each other and nodding Sokka ran over to Appa and awkwardly climbed up onto the fluffy monster's head. He grabbed the reins, declaring he was going to steer (most likely an excuse so he wouldn't have to pack up camp).

The others grabbed everything and hopped into the saddle.

"Yip yip"

Katara's eyes grew wider as Appa lifted off. Momentarily forgetting Katara's loss of memory Aang quickly added "Uh, yeah, he flies"

The water bender's horrified expression changed to a smile as nodded.

"Well, aren't ya' gonna ask how my trip went Sugar Queen" Toph inquired of Katara.

Katara looked at Toph, then back at Aang. She mouthed the words "me".

"Oh right, Katara, this is Toph. She's my earth bending teacher, and she travels with us."

Suddenly Sokka burst into fits of laughter

"We, ha ha, forgot to ha tell her about Toph."

"Okay what's going on" a very angry Toph yelled.

After explaining to her that Katara's memory had reset until two years ago Toph's angry expression turned to that of pity.

"Wow… sorry… talk about a bad first impression" Toph mumbled to herself.

Katara adjusted herself so that her back was against the edge of the saddle. From what she could tell it was going to be a long flight. Surveying her surroundings she noticed it was getting dark, and that the only ones still awake were her and Sokka. Seeing her opportunity she crawled over to the head of the fluffy bison.

"Hey" she said softly, taking a place next to her older brother.

"Hmm" he replied, barley acknowledging her presence.

"So…" Katara started, knowing that it was now or never. She had been wanting the answer to this question ever since she met this new girl. "I kind of have a question… about Aang."

This caught Sokka's attention, and he turned to face her fully, encouraging her to continue.

"It's about him and Toph. Are they" that's when she paused, making a together motion with her hands.

"Wha- oh, OH! _Them, _no, no way."

Katara let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good."

"GOOD! What's that supposed to mean!" Sokka yelled.

Noticing Sokka's brotherly instincts starting to kick in Katara decided that it would be a good time to get some sleep.

"Night Sokka." And with that she left to join the other two for a nap in the saddle.

Sokka watched his sister curl up next to the luggage and sighed. He then looked over at Aang's sleeping form, and allowed his gaze to stop there.

Shaking his head he began to whisper to the sleeping form of the monk. "She's falling for you all over again, buddy. I guess there was just no preventing it." Sending an older brother warning glare Sokka laughed at himself. Who was he kidding? Aang was a monk. It wasn't like he was going to get any ideas.

At that moment Sokka began supporting the idea of his little sister and the monk getting together, and decided he was going to make it happen.


	4. Moon Whispers

**Chapter 4**

Slowly lifting his heavy eyelids Aang allowed the bright moonlight pour in. He shifted in the saddle, his eyes falling on a sleeping Toph and Sokka… But where was

"Hey"

Aang shot strait up in the air in the air when he heard the whisper behind him. Turning around so he realized he had scared Katara with his jump too.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. Oh man, I'm so sorry!"

"No, it's okay. Katara, really, don't worry about it" Aang said, trying to calm the worried girl down.

Seeing that he was okay Katara's eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement. Aang found himself lost in her beauty yet again.

As the moon and stars spilled over the flying beast she spoke again.

"Can I fly him?" she asked pointing to the reins laid ever so carefully on the bison's head. Aang nodded and took her hand. He led her around their sleeping friends and onto Appa's head. Taking the reins in hand Katara began to get the hang of steering.

'_Man, she's so beautiful… Wait! I can't say that about my best friend! **Oh forget it. She's gorgeous and you know it.'**_ Aang battled like this in head for quite a while. Only when he heard the sound of Katara's voice did he snap out of his trance.

"Aang… Aang! We're going down! How do I stop him?!"

Now that she mentioned it, the young monk noticed the giant bison was slowly sloping downward, despite Katara's desperate struggles to straiten their course.

"Oh, you're pulling back instead of up. It throws him off a little." Aang explained, analyzing the situation. "Look, you just shift your weight upward and… it's kind of hard to explain. Here"

He moved closer to where she was sitting and put his arms around hers, adjusting her position. As he moved her arms to the correct form Appa began to even out. Aang knew that this was the part where he let go of Katara, put he couldn't bring himself to release her from his grip.

"See, you just have to…" Aang trailed off as he felt himself leaning in.

Sokka woke to a very strange sensation, almost as if he was falling. When he opened his eyes, however, the sensation was gone and Appa was moving in a strait line. He instinctively looked toward Appa's head, where he saw something he didn't expect.

Now, Sokka isn't the type of person who stops to think about what he is saying, so he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"What are you two _doing_!"

Replaying it in his mind Sokka realized that came out ruder and angrier than he intended.

Aang and Katara, who at the moment were extremely close to each other immediately backed off at the sound of Sokka's voice. Clearly embarrassed a blush spread across both of their faces as they began making their way back to the saddle.

"Umm… we weren't doing anything! 'Cause I mean if _that's _what you were thinking, we definitely weren't doing it" Aang stumbled around on his words almost as much as he did his own two feet. Katara, who was the obviously more put-together of the two quickly curled up in a corner of the saddle next to Toph.

"I'm really tired Sokka. We'll talk in the morning, okay?"

Getting the hint Aang layed down on Katara's other side, and the two immediately fell asleep, comforted by each other's presence.

"I'm not mad." Sokka replied, though both kids were already asleep. He realized that because the two were asleep it was now his job to take over steering Appa. "I just… wasn't thinking, and… she's my little sister. Oh man, this is so confusing."

Turning so he was on his back he faced the stars above.

"It's complicated, Huh Yue? I mean, I do want them to get together, but it's weird. He's like my little brother. I know, I know. I guess I saw this coming from the start. Yeah, I shouldn't worry about it. I mean, whatever happens, happens, right? Thanks Yue, you always know what to say."

The moon shone particularly bright that night. Its gentle light cradled the travelers protectively, some would even say lovingly. As Sokka drifted off to sleep he could swear he heard some one, something whisper into the darkness.

"I will always be with you"


	5. The Festival

_Hey there, sorry it took so long for me to update, but I was having serious writers block, and when I finally figured out what to right about the chapter turned out longer than most, so it took a while to write. Hope you enjoy!_

**Chapter 5: The Festival**

The gaang had been flying for several hours now, and it was obvious that Appa was tiring. Not only that, but it seemed that the continuous traveling was taking its toll on the attitude's of the four passengers as well. Aang decided it would be best if they were to find a town to stop and rest for a few days.

The young monk peered over the edge of his bison's head. He had to be very particular about selection of the town. First off, and most importantly, the town must be free from anything to do with fire nation. It also should be near a good place to practice earth bending, and possibly a water source for Katara.

Spotting a small settlement in the middle of the large forest Aang grew satisfied, and proceeded to tell his companions of his find. He air-lifted himself to the middle of the saddle, right between Katara and Toph. Aang decided that for now it was best to keep a distance from Sokka, considering last night's events. In truth, he was kind of angry with Sokka for finding them. In fact, if he hadn't been interrupted Aang was sure he would have kissed Katara. If only Sokka had waited a few more seconds…

"Aang, are you ok? You spaced out all of a sudden"

Aang was snapped out of his trance by a tan hand waving in front of his face.

"Huh, oh, yeah. I found a place for us to land. We can rest for a few days, and I can practice earth bending."

"And I'll be able to see again"

"And I'll finally get some meat."

Hearing the agreements of his friends Aang hopped back onto Appa's head and set course for the tiny earth village.

"Oh man, I can't find any meat! Only these stupid nuts!"

The gang had landed in a clearing as close as they could get to the village. They decided it would be easiest to keep their things packed and get to the village before nightfall, but Sokka insisted on finding a little snack for their hike.

"Hey, lemme see those nuts… does this place look familiar to you?"

Aang began to look around in all directions, analyzing their temporary campsite. It definitely had a familiar ring to it… oh well; he would think more on it in the morning. For now they had to focus on getting to the town. Maybe if they got there early enough he could spend some quality time with Katara, like last night…

"Almost there, I can feel the vibrations from here"

Toph was right, and before they knew it, they stumbled into the town's market. Aang looked around, his sense of deja vu growing stronger by the minute. He knew he had seen it all before, a long time ago. He looked to Sokka; who also had the same concentrated look on his face. He too knew they had been here before.

"I think we've been here before"

Good ole' Sokka, always one to state the obvious.

"I don't remember it" Toph replied, walking over to where the two boys were standing.

"That's because we came here a long time ago… like on our way to the North Pole."

Sokka looked to Aang, who nodded in agreement, then to Katara, before remembering that she wouldn't have any idea what they were talking about.

"Well, no use in mulling over it now, we should try and find a place to stay." Aang advised. That was the second time that day he had dismissed the strange felling this town gave him.

Sokka approached one of the locals, and requested a place to stay. The poor man he asked looked very distressed, and he decided it would be a good time to introduce Aang into the picture. After a brief introduction the man apologized for his disrespect earlier, and bowed deeply.

People bowing to him never failed to make Aang feel very uncomfortable. He understood that he was the Avatar, the strongest mortal being in existence and the world's last hope, but he was Aang, the fun- loving 12 year old boy first and foremost- and formality still made him twitchy.

"I am very sorry Avatar sir, but it seems that this is the only place available that is large enough to house your, um… pet." The man from earlier had led the gaang to a large stable on top of a beautiful hill. Aang dismissed his memory trying to tell him something as he looked around their temporary home.

"Thank you sir- this will do very nicely." Instead of the ever impersonal bow,

Aang offered the man a friendly smile.

Returning the kind gesture the man turned to leave, but turned around, as though he forgot something.

"Please, tell me- or anyone else around here- if there is anything I can do for you. Oh yes, and I don't mean to be nosy, but I wonder if you would be attending the festival tonight?"

Sokka looked a bit taken aback, he had been hoping for a quiet evening, but judging by the way his sister's face lit up at the mention of it, it seemed they were going to the festival. Toph was the most curious of the four, and asked the man what they were celebrating.

"You see, young travelers, it is on this night, many moons ago, a very special person came to our humble village, and saved many people from the evil clutches of the fire Nation. Tonight we celebrate their return."

With one last bow the man turned and left the four teens to themselves.

"Oh, a festival! How exciting! Who do you suppose was the 'very special person'?"

Sokka looked at his sister, amazed at how dumb she could be at times.

"IT'S AANG! Geez sugar queen, how dumb can you possibly get!?!"

Apparently, Toph felt the same way Sokka did. I mean, did she forget they were traveling with the Avatar!?!

A deep blush spread across her face as Katara realized her ignorance in her last comment. Her 'oops, sorry' could barley be heard.

Aang would have probably been angry with Toph at her crudeness with his sweet Katara, if he had not just realized the answer to what had been plaguing his mind the entire afternoon.

"Sokka, I've got it! This village, its Haru's!"

The warrior's face suddenly lit up as he remembered the teen in which they had risked everything to save.

"Yeah, I remember now. Say, do you think that he's still around here?"

"I guess we'll find out tonight at the festival" Came Aang's bittersweet reply.

Sokka could only guess that the harshness in the young boy's voice was a bit of jealousy. He too remembered how smitten his sister had been with the earth bender. It certainly would be interesting to see how Katara would act around this boy; she had never been one to be shy. This fact was proven the first time they had met Haru. He only hoped, for Aang's sake if not for his own, that she wouldn't fall for the earth bending teen.

Getting ready for the festival had proved to be an easy task. The only one who had any fancy clothing with her was Toph, having come from a rich family, and she wasn't about to change. She had made it very clear that there was no way she was going to dress up if she didn't have to.

The moment they stepped out of the large barn the location of the festival was very clear. There were many colored candles and lanterns hung around, setting the sky a beautiful rainbow color. One could only guess how it would look as soon as the sun was completely set over the mountains.

As they walked down the hill to the center of the town Aang couldn't help but admire Katara's beauty. Although her clothes were normal the lights reflected in her eyes, making them even lovelier then they already were. He had thought about asking her to the festival, as in, a date, but decided against it. First off, he wasn't so sure Sokka was as crazy about the idea as he was, and he did have to live with this guy until the end of the summer. With a boomerang like that, it was better to stay on Sokka's safe side. Also, if this festival was celebrating his return to the village, Aang had a strong feeling that they wouldn't be left alone for the rest of the night.

Then again, maybe all that stuff had nothing to do with it. Maybe he was just too nervous, too afraid of rejection. Aang let out a long sigh, and slowed his step a little, preparing himself to transform into 'Avatar Aang', the world's last hope, instead of the shrimpy 12 year old he was now.

Sensing something was wrong, Katara laid a comforting hand on Aang's shoulder.

"Don't worry, It'll be fun." She said, offering a warm smile. _'It's always fun with you around'_ she added silently to herself.

-Meanwhile, a few paces ahead-

Toph was subconsciously preparing herself for the festival. She knew that Sokka would be flirting a lot, and to her dismay, none of it would be with her. He seemed to forget she was even a girl sometimes, although she had to admit, she never much acted like one.

'_Maybe one day'_

By the time they arrived in the center of town the sun had set. The only light in the entire town were the colorful lanterns strung around every building, and even a couple trees. There was a large stage that everyone seemed to be congregating around, so the group worked their way over through the crowd.

Soon the crowd began to quiet down, and a man walked on stage accompanied by what seemed like a younger version of him. A very familiar, earth bender version.

Sokka leaned over to Aang and whispered, so not to be disrespectful to the two people on stage. "Hey, that's Haru"

Aang felt a surge of jealousy overcome him like an ocean wave when he heard that name. He hadn't forgotten the boy, and how he and Katara always went on walks at sunset, and seemed to understand each other so well. He had also overheard Haru and his father talking to Katara right after she had freed them, and he had tried to persuade her to come back with him, but she chose to come with Aang. Perhaps that showed that she liked Aang more than Haru, but that was then, and Katara didn't remember any of it now.

The man began to speak, and introduced himself as Tyro. Then he introduced his son as, sure enough, Haru. Although Aang was extremely jealous of the boy, Aang thought it was nice to see an old friend. Then Haru began a speech.

"Many moons ago this very ground you are standing on was not free. The entire town was ruled by the fire nation, and they treated us harshly, and charged us with unfair taxes. Worst of all, anyone who was caught earth ending was taken captive, and forced to live on a steel boat. I am sorry to say that my father and I had to experience this harsh punishment first hand, as we are both earth benders. With so many of our brave warriors gone and the fire nation taking over our lives all hope seemed lost, that is until some travelers stumbled into this village and changed our lives forever. One of the travelers stood out of the rest, and without this person I would have never seen my father again, and I probably wouldn't be here right now. That is why I am happy to say that this very person is here tonight…"

Sokka shot Aang an encouraging glance. The kid was like a little brother to him, and it was nice to see these people appreciating him, because he tried so hard.

"Without further ado, let me welcome to our town the person that saved my life and the lives of my people…"

'_Here it comes'_ Aang thought. No one had ever introduced him like this before. It was always just 'Avatar Aang'. He had saved plenty of villages, but never had he been honored like this before. He could feel Katara's hand on his shoulder, warm and supporting. He could see the smile on Haru's face as he was about to announce his name. He was looking at Aang now, or rather, looking slightly over his shoulder at- but it couldn't be…

"…Katara!"

As some teen on the stage announced her name Katara froze and her eyes grew as wide as saucers. A group of people around her lifted her onto the stage and into the embrace of the boy who had made the speech just moments earlier. Who was this guy, and why was he hugging her. She felt helpless as she sent a confused look down to Aang and Sokka, who looked just as surprised as she felt. He boy who was hugging her pulled back and held her in place by her shoulders, when he began to speak again.

"Thank you Katara."

There was a long silence, and the only thing that kept her from jumping of the stage was the boy's strong hold on her. She realized that everyone was waiting for her to say some thing, to make some kind of speech, but the words wouldn't come. She simply looked helplessly at the boy, and managed to choke out

"I'm sorry, but, who are you again?"

_Please update, I need your feedback! Don't worry, it hopefully won't take as long for me to update this time. I am also thinking about starting a new fic soon, so check all my stories._


	6. Affections Pt 1

**Chapter 6: Affections**

"And, that's basically what happened… so, no hard feelings, right?"

Sokka was doing his best to explain Katara's case of amnesia to a very embarrassed Haru. It was a few moments after Haru announced how Katara saved the village. Naturally, she had no idea what he was talking about, and accidentally insulted him.

"Of course not Sokka, it was all just a misunderstanding. I probably would have done the same thing."

'_That's a relief. Haru sure does seem to be taking this well… he must really like Katara… Damn it!'_ It seemed that Sokka's fears of Haru still liking his sister were realized. _'You better pour on the charm, Aang, or else Katara is gonna be Haru's girlfriend instead of yours!' _Sokka mentally scolded his friend. It wasn't that Sokka didn't like Haru; it was more that Sokka didn't like the fact that Haru liked his baby sister. If his sister had to be with anyone, he would want it to be with Aang, the timid monk. Plus Aang was his friend, and he wanted him to be happy. And he was a monk.

Sokka let out a long sigh. At the moment he and Haru were on hillside, away from the commotion of the festival. Sokka decided it would be best if he told Haru why Katara didn't remember him, while Aang told Katara how she saved the village. And Toph would… well; actually, he wasn't even sure where Toph was at the moment, much less what she as doing.

Sokka allowed his eyes to shift from the boy sitting next to him to the bright moon above them. Even with all of the lanterns hung around the town, the moon stood out as bright as ever against the dark night sky.

'_Did you see what happened down there Yue? Well, of course you did, you see everything… what a stupid question… but anyway, it was hilarious. I know it shouldn't be funny, but I can't help but laugh when I think about it! Man the look on Katara's face! And poor Aang, he looked like he was about to explode when Haru grabbed Katara like that. I'm surprised he didn't glow it up all over that pretty boy, and show him Katara was his property. Well, actually Yue, I guess Katara is my property, at least for now, since I'm her older brother. But, I'm getting off subject again._ "Man, you must think I'm so stupid sometimes."

"Why"

Sokka was snapped out of his trance at Haru's question.

"Wha- how did you, huh?"

Haru stared at Sokka as if he had grown another head. "You said that I think you're stupid, but why would I?"

Sokka became very embarrassed when he realized what was going on. He was so caught up in talking to Yue, that he didn't even notice when he said the last part out loud. How on earth was he supposed to recover from this one?

"Um, well, I kinda wasn't talking to you"

Haru only became more perplexed. "Then, who were you talking to?"

"The moon"

The explanation was correct, but Sokka wasn't the one who had said it. Both boys whipped around to see a small earth bender crawl out of the bushes and dusted herself off. Then she walked back over to them, head held high almost as if she hadn't been eavesdropping on them moments before.

"He does it all the time." Toph paused, then sat down next to Haru and gave a shrug. "Must be a water tribe thing."

"Oh, that makes sense, isn't there a moon spirit that watches over them. Yeah, I remember now." Haru offered a smile, before remembering Sokka telling him about the girl's blindness.

"So, I hear you can see with earth bending, huh? That's pretty cool."

Sokka just sat there gaping. Toph had been watching them this whole time, and now Haru was striking up pleasant conversation with her! After calming down a bit (and closing his mouth) Sokka decided he couldn't blame the poor girl. I mean, it was pretty obvious that she had a crush on him (we're not talking _Aang_ and_ Katara_ obvious, but obvious none the less.) But when it came down to it, Sokka couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the girl, after all, he didn't feel the same way. But she didn't know that.

What if Toph thought he liked her! What if she asked him to dance with her at the festival! That would be terrible, he couldn't turn her down. Right then and there Sokka knew that he had to make a quick getaway, but before he could make his move he noticed Toph was walking off… and talking with Haru. It even looked like she was flirting with the pretty boy.

Just like she used to do with him.

Even though it would appear that Sokka's problems were over, he could tell by the rush of jealousy he got by seeing Toph with another guy that they were just beginning.

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"Are you sure it was me who did all of that?"

Aang couldn't help but smile at Katara's amazed expression. When she faked earth bending to find Haru was pretty amazing though. I mean, she got herself arrested all so she could save some boy. Some damn lucky boy.

"Yup, definitely you"

The two continued walking down the moonlit path, until they came to the edge of a very large forest. Now that Aang was finished with his explanation of who Haru was, and why it was Katara was so famous here, they decided that it would be a good idea to head back. That and the fact that the large forest seemed much creepier in the night.

As they started the hike back to town Katara shook her head in disbelief.

"Man, future me is pretty crazy, huh?"

Aside from a small chuckle on Aang's part, the two walked back to town in silence, each dreaming of what this night had in store for them. Once they arrived back in the midst of the festival people bombarded them for a chance to talk with the brave Katara.

"Finally, a place where I'm more popular than you."

Aang simply smiled in return, and then whispered to himself "You deserve it, Katara." He watched as her face lit up when the sound of music grew louder. She eyed him suspiciously, and kept glancing over at the dance floor. A plan formed in the young monks mind, but before he could do anything Katara had held her hand out to him

"So… do you wanna dance?"

Haru was stunned. He looked down at the small girl standing next to him, and then looked around himself in all directions, to see if she could possibly be asking anyone else.

"I _said_, do you wanna dance, and yes, I'm talking to you."

For once in his life, Haru had no idea what to say. He could tell that this girl was bold, she was an earth bender after all, and he searched for the right words to turn her down as kindly as possible.

"Well, you see… there is kind of this other person and-"

Haru was cut off by a pair of sightless milky green eyes staring into his own. "Lemme guess, this other person," She paused, and let out a long sigh before continuing. "They're water tribe, aren't they?"

"Yes, but how did you-"

"Lucky guess."

And with that she turned and shuffled away, the same words playing over and over in her mind. _'Damn it, Katara! Why do have to be so pretty! Damn it damn it damn it…'_

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That night the group retreated back to their barn utterly exhausted. Toph was sulking over her rejectment, Sokka was plotting ways to rip Haru's head off, and Aang was fuming. Katara had asked him to dance! It was everything he could have ever wished for, after this most stressful day, yet it seemed the spirits couldn't even grant him that. Right before he was going to accept Sokka came barging through the festival, revenge clearly written on his face. Aang wasn't sure why Sokka wanted revenge, but they would deal with that in the morning.

He and Katara knew it was their job to see that Sokka didn't hurt anyone, and instead of the perfect evening spent dancing with the love of his life, Aang and Katara spent the remainder of the festival chasing Sokka around and tying to insure he wouldn't do something stupid.

Toph was more than upset. She was miserable. Words couldn't explain how embarrassed she felt at the moment. She had to do something to keep her mind off the frustrating events of the evening, so she focused on spreading her sour mood. As the saying goes, misery loves company, right?

Picking up her pace a bit, Toph caught up to Aang. She leaned in closely so he was the only one who could hear her.

"Hey, you better keep a close watch on Sugar Queen over there. It seems as though Haru's got hi eye on the prize as well."

That was it! Haru liked Katara! How was Aang supposed to compete with Haru! He was screwed.

Katara looked up from her close eye on Sokka to see Toph lean in closely to Aang. Despite what Sokka had told her, visions of Toph and Aang began to swim around in Katara's mind. That was it! What if Toph liked Aang! There was no way he would choose a water peasant over Toph and her rich family! Katara was screwed.

The moon watched the four tired teens from its high perch among the stars. Yue knew she had held onto Sokka for too long, and it was time to set him free. She had plagued him with guilt when he saw Suki because she wasn't right for him, but now that he was realizing his feelings for Toph, it was time for her to let him go.

But oh, that wasn't the only problem Yue was facing. Haru seemed to be tearing apart the gaang's friendship. Sokka wanted to kill him for walking with Toph, Aang wanted to kill him because Toph said he liked Katara, and then Katara was heartbroken because she thought Toph and Aang liked each other. How could the moon spirit let things get so tangled!

And even though she knows it shouldn't be funny, sometimes she can't help but laugh.

_**Note:** Yay! Done with the 6th chapter. I do most of this from Aang's point of view, so I think in the next chapter I'll do thing's from Katara's point of view. Please check out my other fic, the Fravatar: Drabbles if you don't mind. Comment please!_


	7. Affections Pt 2

_**Note:** Well, here's the second part of 'Affections'! Before you read it, I would like to say that there are some (very humorous) mentions of **Aunt Flow**, so don't say you weren't warned!_

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Avatar characters; I just like to mess with 'em!_

**Chapter 7: Affections ( Pt. 2)**

The group was sitting in the barn that had been so graciously provided for them. It was the morning after the festival and they were all in considerably better moods than the previous night.

That is, everyone except Sokka. Something seemed to be eating him up from the inside out, and Katara was determined to find out what it was. After she had been so rudely interrupted by his antics at the festival, she felt he owed it to her to spill. After all, what are siblings but walking diaries?

Apparently, Katara's attempt at being the perfect sister was futile, and whatever had Sokka all upset was far beyond her area of expertise. It was official; her big brother was in _way_ over his head.

And judging by the way he was acting, it could only mean one thing.

Katara skipped merrily over to where her brother was seated next to Appa. She plopped down next to him and rested one of her elbows on her knee.

"So, Sokka… looks like someone's got a _lady _problem, huh?" she teased, prodding his side with her free elbow.

"Oh, I see you're so concerned" he replied sarcastically, referring to her cheeky grin.

"Well, if you don't want to talk about it…" Standing up, she walked away from the deflated Sokka, and made her way to the door.

Turning to face everyone, she announced that she was going for a walk.

When Aang heard this his head automatically shot up. Should he go with her? He really wanted to, and after almost dancing with Katara last night he was itching to spend more time with her, but she didn't invite him. That had never stopped Aang before, but he had become much more self-conscious ever since they came to this place, and decided he had better sit this one out. He probably would've said something stupid anyway, it seemed like killing the mood was one thing he had become quite good at ever since the Cave of Two Lovers.

"Okay, bye" And with that Katara left, and all eyes were on Aang.

"What"

Toph just shook her head empathetically. "You just don't get it, do you?" Aang's look of utter confusion was the answer to that question. "She wanted you to go with her. That's why she waited so long at the door."

"Oh" Now Aang felt terribly guilty. What if Katara thought he hated her now? He had to go find her and apologize!

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Katara loved walks. For as long as she could remember, ever since she was a child and Sokka would take her around on their little 'adventures' through the ice. It seemed today was no exception.

It was true that these little outings reminded her of simpler times at home, although the weather was beautiful in this village, quite the contrast to the icy tundra she used to stroll along.

Katara wasn't complaining. It seemed like the perfect day to go outside, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. The only thing that got her down was the soft breeze that whipped around her every few minutes. It seemed to be reminding her of a certain air bender, and the fact that she was taking this walk alone. Letting out a small sigh, she turned back and headed for the barn.

After a few more moments of walking in silence, the water bender decided it was about time for a pit stop. Selecting a nice large bush, she slid behind it, making sure no one else was around.

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"I should go after her"

It was more of a statement than a question, as Aang looked out the door of the barn and down the trail Katara had left on just a few moments before.

Toph sat lazily near Appa, and shot Aang a half amused, half sympathetic look. "Yup. Too bad you missed your chance."

"She can't have gone too far… I could still catch up to her."

"Don't you get it Twinkle Toes? You're not exactly the person she would want to see right now!"

Aang gritted his teeth as he continued to stare at the trail. _'Then who would that person be? Haru!?!?!'_

Suddenly, a scream was heard. It cut through the former silence like an ax through a log. Sokka and Toph's attention turned toward the door, where Aang was ready to sprint out of in a split second.

Sokka immediately recognized the scream to be that of baby's sisters. The shrieking quickly turned into the calling of Sokka's name, and with no time to waste, Sokka on the trail, headed toward the voice.

Just as Aang was about to follow Sokka, Toph held her hand out, signaling him to stop.

"There's a reason why she screamed for Sokka, smart one. Give it time, she'll be fine."

And because there was no arguing with Toph after she had made up her mind, Aang slowly slumped to the ground in defeat, eyes never leaving the entrance to the barn.

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"Sokka! Sokka! SOKKA!!!"

After an agonizing run, Sokka had managed to find the location of the voice. It was coming from behind a bush… spirits know what she was doing back there.

"Hey, Katara, cool it. I'm here."

Sokka cautiously rounded the bush, where he found his sister kneeling on the ground, close to tears.

"What's going on!"

Katara's expression was that of pure fear, and she answered him in a voice nearly smaller than a whisper.

"What was that?"

"I _said_… I think something's wrong with me. I'm _bleeding _Sokka!"

The young warrior looked taken aback, but he regained his composure and put a hand on his sister's shoulder.

"What… where?"

"Umm… that's the thing…"

Realization dawned on the poor boy, and he quickly with drew his hand, as if she was going to bite him.

"You don't mean… oh, oh no! I'm NOT going to talk to you about…_ that_! There's no way… I just can't!"

"Well, Sokka, somebody's gonna have to do something real soon, cause I'm starting to get freaked out here!"

Sokka took a deep breath and studied his sister. She had quickly adapted to live as a 14 year old, so much that he would often forget she couldn't remember past the first 12 years of her life.

This however, wasn't one of those times. Apparently, Katara couldn't remember getting 'the talk' on her 13th birthday, and she had just found out about some lady problems of her own.

Now, she just needed someone to explain things too her… and because no one else was around, it looked like Sokka would be the one to do it.

"Ok, well… Katara… I don't know how to say this. You're not going to like it-"

"Oh dear spirits Sokka, am I dieing?!?!?!"

"No- Katara, listen. You won't die, you're just going to- arrghhh!!! I can't do this!!!!"

"OH NO, I _AM_ DIEING!!!"

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"Twinkle Toes, calm down. You know it's impossible for me to relax with you pacing around like that."

Aang stopped his worried movement to look at the blind girl sitting in front of him.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN?!?! How am I supposed to calm down when Katara could be in trouble!?! It's all my fault, I should have gone on that walk with her."

Toph just crossed her arms and rolled her sightless green eyes.

"You know what your worrying tells me? It tells me you don't trust Sokka. There's a reason she called to him instead of me or you, okay? Sokka won't let anything happen to her. Besides, I'm sure she's perfectly fine."

"I guess you're right."

Satisfied with Toph's answer the young monk sank to the ground and crossed his legs. If he was going to wait here, then he might as well get comfortable. Toph was right, he should stop worrying, Katara was probably fine.

Not even a minute after Aang had sat down, another one of Katara's shrill screams pierced through the morning.

"OH NO, I _AM_ DIEING!!!"

Toph felt her own breath hitch at the outburst, though she knew Katara was over exaggerating.

A small sigh was heard behind her, followed by a thump, and Toph knew she was in deep.

Sokka was in the woods with a supposedly 'dieing' Katara, and she was stuck here in this barn- where Aang had just fainted.

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"Whew, glad that's over."

Sokka stood from the hiding place behind the bush, and began to stretch his cramped limbs. He turned back to his sister, whose usually tanned face had paled. She slowly began to walk out from behind the bush, wobbling as though on brand new legs.

Katara took a deep breath, trying very hard not to cry. She wasn't entirely sure why she was so upset, it must be one of those mood swings Sokka had been talking about. Stepping onto the trail, she began to work her way back to the barn, taking care not to trip on her wobbly, sore legs.

"C'mon Katara, pick it up. We should hurry back, Aang was so worried, he must be driving Toph crazy right now."

Aang, worried about _her_. That was unexpected, for Katara at least. This morning when she announced she was going on a walk, instead of usually going with her, Aang stayed behind. With _Toph. _She had even stalled at the door, just in case he hadn't heard her. And now he was worried about her.

Maybe there was hope after all.

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Aang awoke to mumbling voices. His head hurt so much, in fact, his whole body was stiff. Apparently he had fallen asleep in a very odd position, in the dirt. He couldn't remember exactly how he got there… but he recalled something about Katara… and… death?

"_OH NO! I AM DIEING!!!!"_

As soon as the memory came flooding back into his mind Aang shot up as fast as he could. Unfortunately, because of his airbending skills 'as fast as he could' shot him up to the roof of the barn, and he landed in a worse position than when he had woke.

"Oomph"

Toph's head snapped up at the sudden vibrations. Thoughts registered in her mind, and she concluded that Aang must have finally woken up.

"Hey Aang."

"Where is she?!?"

"Did you have a nice nap, because I didn't know guys fainted."

"TOPH!"

The earth bender chuckled to herself, and made a gesture to where Aang had been unconscious just moments before.

"Jeez, cool it Twinkle Toes. Sugar Queen is fine. She came back while you were sleeping. Said something about going to find someone to hang out with until you woke up."

Aang's thoughts immediately turned to Haru, and he knew he had to find Katara to apologize, and most importantly, keep her away from that pretty boy earth bender.

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This was it. Sokka had promised himself last night he was going top get revenge on Haru. Unfortunately, this morning, he had also promised himself he wouldn't use violence. It would look bad if one of the Avatar's friends beat up a villager… no matter how much he deserved it.

So far it didn't matter what Sokka had promised himself, because Haru was no where to be found. He had looked in the market, his mother's house and in the town square, but there was no Haru.

Finally, Sokka got sick of looking. If everyone loved Haru so much, then one person must know where he is. Spying a woman a little older than himself, Sokka put on his friendliest smile and approached the girl, who was standing by one of the shops, examining a small purple flower.

"Excuse me miss, but would you happen to know where Haru is?"

As soon as the words left his lips, the warrior mentally scolded himself. He shouldn't have been so abrupt with the girl. What if she didn't know who Haru was, much less where he was?

The girl remained silent, but raised a finger in the direction Sokka was facing. Thinking that this was where Haru was, Sokka thanked the woman and started on his way.

The forest was thick, and crowded with shrubs that Sokka had a knack for tripping on. This place was so overgrown, it made Sokka wonder why Haru would be there. Why would anyone be there- unless… unless, they had a secret.

The brush seemed to grow thicker the farther he ventured, and Sokka noticed through he canopy, that it seemed to be getting late into the afternoon. _'You had better thank me for this, Toph.'_

His legs were sore, and it was getting later. Sokka realized if there was any hope if finding Haru, he would have to power through. He backed up a little, then charged full speed ahead through the bushes. It now seemed like Sokka was pushing through a wall. To get through the immensely thick brush, the warrior put all his weight into it, only to fall flat on his face on the other side of the brush.

As he pulled himself up, Sokka noticed a raggedy looking shack, not 10 away.

'_I wonder why Haru would be in there.'_

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Worried would be an understatement. When Katara had come back from her walk to find Aang unconscious, she had just about lost it. Maybe it was all the new information about being a teenage girl, but it seemed that finding out her best friend fainted was the last straw.

Katara had pretty much freaked out. It didn't help that her moods were on the fritz, either. She began to fuss over Aang, moods changing every minute. It was quite the show. First, she would feel so bad for him she was close to tears, and then she would be furious at him for not waiting to faint so she could have helped.

Sokka was very thankful Aang was a heavy sleeper.

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Katara had been walking hurriedly around the town for a few hours now. She was looking for something to give Aang that would make him feel better. When he found out he was unconscious she went a little crazy, and even though he was totally out of it at the time of her outburst, she still wanted to make it up to him.

She was in a hurry because she didn't know how long he would be asleep, and she wanted to be there when he woke up. It would have been a lot easier if she could find out what to give him. _'If I was the 12 year old master of all elements, what would make me feel better?'_

Katara was starting to think there was no easy answer to that question.

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Ever since Haru had rejected her at the festival, Toph had been working toward one goal. Messing things up, in this case, 'things' meaning Aang and Katara.

It wasn't that she was angry at her friends; it was just that lately she seemed to be mad at the world in general. And if she couldn't have a love life, she wasn't about to spend all her free time with the 'couple of the year'.

So when she saw her opportunity to mess things up this morning, she wasn't about to pass it up.

"_Toph, I'm going to find something to make Aang feel better. If he wakes up while I'm gone, make sure to tell him where I am, okay?"_

"_Sure Katara, no problem."_

"_Thanks Toph! I owe you one!"_

Maybe she felt a little guilty for lying… but she had to do something to keep herself busy around here, and this little soap opera would do her good. It would keep her mind off a certain someone, and how she would feel if _he_ rejected her the way Haru had.

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For such a little village, this place sure had a lot of hiding places. Aang had been searching for Katara for quite some time now, only to come up empty-handed.

He _had_ come close though. There was one girl in blue who had looked a lot like Katara from behind, and since he was in such a hurry to find her the little mix up was understandable.

Now he was back to square one. Katara thought he hated her, and was probably off flirting with Haru or something. And he couldn't even find her to apologize.

Maybe, instead of searching for Katara, Aang should look for Haru. Toph had said she was going out to find someone to hang out with until he woke up. Could that mean she liked him more than Haru? Would she leave Haru to do something with him today?

Now Aang knew, he had to find Haru, so he could find Katara, apologize, and test her by seeing who she spends the day with.

Full of nerves and hope Aang began to look around the small market he was currently standing in. Spying a woman not much older than Sokka, he made his way over, smiling sincerely.

"Excuse me miss, but would you happen to know where Haru is."

The woman did a double take at Aang, almost as if she had seen him before, which was probably the case, seeing as he was the Avatar. She turned to face him fully, and began to giggle.

"So tell me Mr. Avatar, is this some kind of search party?"

Aang just stared blankly at the woman, what on earth was she talking about?

The woman, once again, laughed at his expression, and then simply pointed. Aang turned so he was facing in the direction the finger was pointing, then thanked the woman and sped off.

The woman bowed to the Avatar in respect, but he was already gone when she raised her head. After another lighthearted giggle, she turned back to her shopping, and finally answered Aang's question to no one in particular.

"No, sir, I don't, but if anyone would know, it'd be the fan club."

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The market place was extremely crowded, and it was hard to see the shops. The close proximity to other customers began making Katara a little claustrophobic, and she tried to make her way out of the chaos.

Once she had successfully navigated her way to the outer shops, mixed feelings came across her. She was relieved to get out of there, but also very disappointed that she didn't find anything for Aang. She tried to brush of the feeling, and continued her way out of the marketplace.

When Katara was younger, she had a very hard time focusing. Many times you could find her dinner half- eaten, or her chores partly finished. After her father left for the war, Katara and Sokka were forced to grow up quickly, and slaking was no longer an option.

Unfortunately, Katara had no memory of her rushed childhood, and was still easily distracted. Many times this trait would get her in to some sort of trouble, or just cause a great inconvenience.

This was one of those times. As Katara was walking toward the barn, she saw a pretty woman standing by one of the shops, and the water bender's attention was caught by the lovely little purple flower nestled into her hair.

Her quest to find a cheer-up gift for Aang was forgotten, and Katara knew she needed one of those flowers. Casually she sauntered over to where the woman was standing (the lady couldn't have been much older than Sokka) and plastered on her sweetest smile, preparing to ask where she had found the plant.

The woman looked up, and an amused smile crossed her lips.

"Let me guess, you are one of the Avatar's friends."

A gasp of surprise was heard on Katara's part, followed by a nod.

Katara opened her mouth to speak, but the woman held up a hand, signaling her to stop.

"And I already know you want to ask me a question."

The young water bender's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in astonishment.

"You-you do?"

The woman nodded, and held out her finger in the same direction for the third time that day.

"The answer, is that way."

A wide, childish smile spread across Katara's face as she scurried off in the direction of the forest. She was going to get a flower!

The woman just shook her head, and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. _'I wonder why the Avatar and his friends are all searching for Haru.'_

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Slowly, Sokka collected himself off the ground and faced the shack. Boomerang in hand; he cautiously approached the small building. The warrior wasn't quite sure why he was so scared, after all, what threatening beast would hide in a shack? And if Haru was in there, well, that was all that mattered.

Just in case the wooden door was locked, Sokka gave it a good kick and it came swinging open. The water tribe warrior burst through the open entryway, to be surrounded by pink, green, and… Haru?

Not exactly what he had been hoping for. Instead of the real Haru, posters of him hung on every wall. Even a few sewn plushies (that looked very similar to voodoo dolls) littered the corners of the room. And in the center of the small shack were six people, staring strait back at Sokka.

Circled around a single table were six strangers, all dressed in clothing different from that of the normal Earth Kingdom attire. Across the front of their robes, in big green letters were the words:

'OFFICIAL HARU FANCLUB MEMBER'

He had traveled around the world on an air bison's back and been to many strange places, but words could not explain how out of place Sokka felt at that moment.

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Aang was a kind monk, if you knew him you could tell he wasn't type to hold a grudge, but all of that changed when it came to Katara.

He was the Avatar, and anything in the world he wanted was pretty much handed to him on a silver platter, he was higher than royalty itself. But she was the one thing he couldn't have. To face the truth, Aang wasn't exactly the picture of manly perfection. He was short, bald, and skinny. In fact, if you had just met him it would be very hard to tell he was the single most powerful being on the entire earth.

But Dear Spirits, did he love this girl. It didn't matter that he had taken a silly vow not to love 100 years ago, he knew this feeling was much stronger than any promise he could make.

Now, the only thing that stood in between Aang and the girl of his dreams was pretty boy Haru, and Aang was determined to get him out of the way, no matter what the cost.

Simply walking through this forest was not enough, and Aang had to use his air bending if he wanted to find the two before Haru had the chance to woo Katara with his charm.

He propelled himself forward, until he came across what appeared to be a wall of plants, with an odd- shaped hole in the center.

As Aang warily passed through, he wondered what kind of deranged animal made the opening in the brush.

'_It must have been pretty stupid to run through like that.'_

Aang kept walking until he was face to face with a shack, the door slightly ajar.

'_This must be the place.'_

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She must have been crazy. That was the only explanation. Why else would that woman pick her way through this muggy forest for a little flower? It was ridiculous.

'_Then I must be crazy too'_ Katara thought to herself, as she continued to stumble through the thick wood, in search of the tiny purple treasure. Things were starting to look hopeless, and it was getting late. Sokka would kill her if he knew she was out in the woods, at night, alone.

Suddenly, this whole flower thing seemed like a bad idea, and Katara began to curse her short attention span. It was no longer a fun little outing, but now a creepy maze- like trap in the dark. A branch snapped behind her, and Katara realized she didn't have her water pouch slung around her waist, so she did the next best thing.

She ran for her life.

Unfortunately, no matter how fast she would go, she would always end up tripping on some kind of root or shrub placed in a most inconvenient spot. After what seemed like endless running she came to a large wall of plants, and ducked through a strange hole.

However, when she got through to the other side, she thought she could hear a familiar voice calling to her, it almost sounded like… Haru?

She didn't stick around to find out. Spying a shack not to far from the shrubbery wall she ducked around back and hid underneath one of the windows, hoping to hide from whatever was chasing her, and get a better view of what was happening inside.

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Sokka shifted uncomfortably, and opened his mouth, but no words came out. Taking in a deep breath, and clenching his boomerang for reassurance, he looked directly at the girls (and the middle aged man who accompanied them) and addressed the one standing closest to him.

"Who are you?" he asked, sounding more like the victim here than the one who had barged into the shack in the first place.

The tallest girl (she seemed to be the leader) took charge and marched strait up to Sokka. She then turned around to face the others in the room and smiled.

"Did you hear that, ladies… and Botan. This boy wants to know who we are!"

Immediately the youngest member of the group jumped up from her previous spot on the floor and gestured to the banner in the back of the shack. **(Note_: Hehe... I rhymed!_)**

Following the child's flapping arms, Sokka averted his eyes so he could see the large green and pink paper. It read:

HARU'S OFFICIAL FAN CLUB

So that explains the shirts… Sokka looked back at the 'fan club' and noticed they were all young girls, except for a strange man who sat in the corner, flower adorned in his hair. _'Why am I not surprised? If everyone loves Haru so much, why not make a fan club! How predicable… well, aside from that man, Botan, he is a little 'out of the ordinary'….'_

Sokka puffed out his chest and prepared his 'manly voice'. It was shameful to think that earlier he had been scared of a bunch of girls and some guy with a flower in his hair.

"So, ladies…" he paused, and bowed to the majority of the club "Botan" another pause, this time directed toward the back where the only male member resided peacefully, "Long story short, I've got to find Haru… would any of you know where he is?"

The child once again jumped up, but an older girl held her back, and spoke to her in an affectionate tone

"Aimi, no, let the big girls handle this one." Then the girl (Sokka guessed she was a twin judging by the other girl who looked exactly like her) changed demeanor quickly and stomped over to where Sokka was awkwardly standing.

"How dare you question our knowledge of beloved Haru! Of course we know where he is!"

Her twin joined them in the center of the room and stomped her foot loudly, adding emphasis on her sister's statement.

Backing up a bit Sokka forced out a smile. "That's great, if you would just tell me, then I could be on my way."

Right as another girl opened her mouth the door shot open and slammed Sokka in the back of the head… hard.

As the warrior fell to his knees, the young monk whose air bending has just forced them into this mess stepped forward.

"Alright, where is he?!"

Assuming by 'he' Aang meant the only conscious male (besides himself) in the room, all hands pointed to an oblivious Botan.

Giving a semi-drunken grin Botan half- bowed, half- rested his chin on his chest. "How may I help you sir?"

Aang looked dumbfounded. This was not what he had been expecting… no Haru… no Katara. Just a bunch of fan girls (and one fan-man).

For the first time since his arrival the Avatar noticed Sokka, lying on the ground, from his doing.

"Ahhh! Sokka, I'm so sorry!"

A muffled groan was head from the teen, as he struggled to keep his balance.

"S'okay Aang. Wait, what are _you_ doing here!"

Not wanting to reveal his plot to save Katara from Haru's grasp, Aang searched for an excuse. "Well, um… I could ask you the same question!"

Afraid to tell about his plot to free Toph from Haru's spell Sokka made a desperate attempt to get out of this predicament. "I was uhh… attending the fan club meeting?" he offered in a most unconvincing voice.

Aang raised an eyebrow in response, but before anyone could do anything the door opened again, this time less aggressively, and Katara slipped in.

Once inside Katara looked around wildly, trying to take in everything that was crammed into the small hut. Her eyes landed on the Avatar (completely conscious and everything) and she let out a yelp of excitement.

She rushed over to where he was standing and pulled him in a tight hug. "Oh, Aang, I'm so glad you're alright! Toph said you fainted while we were gone and, oh, you had me worried sick!"

Aang smiled and hugged her back, sighing into her shoulder "I'm fine Katara. Really."

Satisfied with the answer she pulled back, and finally noticed her strange surroundings.

"Where on earth are we- wait a second. You, there, in the corner" Katara left Aang's side and advanced toward Botan. "Where did you get that flower?!"

The change in events once again had Aang stupefied. He looked to Sokka for help, who in turn explained Katara's former case of A.D.D.

"Oh, this?" Botan asked, twirling the small purplish flower in between this thumb and index. "Got this in the town market just this morning. In fact, there was a whole cart full of 'em."

Thinking back to her morning spent in the busy market, she did recall seeing a lot of purple in one cart, she has just been too busy to notice. Then, she had seen the exact same flower in the woman's hair… and she had almost gotten killed running through the forest at night. If she had gone through all that, Katara knew one thing for sure.

She was not leaving without a flower.

Botan noticed the way the Water Tribe girl was eyeing his flower, and began to get fidgety. As she drew closer, he realized she was intent on stealing his flower, what she didn't know was he was intent on keeping it.

Right as Katara was about to make a grab for the purple shrub he lurched to his feet and took off out the door. Mind set on that dang flower Katara followed in hot pursuit, with Sokka close behind, screaming at her not to run off in the woods at night.

So that left Aang. And a group of very angry fan girls. Hoping to avoid further confrontation with the unhappy gang of Haru lovers, Aang rushed after his friends (and Botan).

"Give me the flower!"

"No way!"

"I SAID-"

"Katara, you should really-"

"GIMEE THE FLOWER!"

The trio was past the wall of shrubs and headed deeper into the forest when it happened. The three stumbled onto a fourth person, the very person everyone had been looking for.

Haru.

The forest fell silent, as everyone continued to stare at the young earth bender. Finally Sokka broke the silence.

"Good, Haru. I need to ask you something, WHERE THE HECK DO YOU HIDE?! I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU ALL DAY!"

Wanting to please the warrior (because that's how perfect and sincere he is) Haru held out his hands in a shrug and gave a heart-warming smile.

"What a coincidence, I've been looking for you"

As he spoke, a loud crash was heard behind the Water Tribe siblings, signaling Botan had just fainted at the sound of Haru's voice. Remembering how Aang fainted just this morning, Sokka sighed at the lack of manliness around him. Hopefully this 'sissy' thing wasn't contagious.

Dropping to one knee Haru scooted closer to the Water Tribe siblings, and pulled out what appeared to be some time of 'promise ring' expertly carved out of stone. Sokka remembered Toph speaking of the Earth Kingdom custom, if a boy liked a girl a lot he made her a ring out of stone as a promise of marriage when they come of age.

And now here he was, worrying Haru liked Toph, and watching him basically propose to his sister. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen! Katara was supposed to marry Aang, not this guy!

But he wasn't the only witness anymore. A bit of rustling in the bushes, and Aang popped out about 50 feet away from the group. His eyes widened with shock (and what appeared to be fear) as he comprehended the scene displayed before him.

The boy's eyes flew from Katara to the boy kneeling down in front of her, and then finally landed on the ring he held.

It all happened so fast. The next thing Sokka knew Aang was running full-speed toward them (which took about 4 seconds thanks to air bending) screaming.

"KATARA, NO! DON'T DO IT!" Once close enough he took he hand and looked her strait in the eyes. "Please, don't. Ilove you"

And again with the quiet. Everyone stood around and let what had just happened sink in. Sokka always knew how it would go. He knew that one day Aang would confess to Katara, but he never expected the day to come so soon. He also imagined, considering the monk's shyness around his sister, that Aang would blush, look away, shuffle his feet, or something!

Instead Aang was just standing there, staring at Katara with all seriousness. No stuttering, mumbling, apologizing for the deep secret he had just let slip out. Serious, but definitely not confident. The fear was evident in his eyes as he waited for Katara to reply.

But it was Haru, not Katara, whose voice found itself first.

"Wait a second… You think that _I_ like _her_."

That was how Haru found himself getting stupid looks from everyone (aside from Botan, who was still out cold).

Aang stared at Haru, then the ring, then Katara standing in front of it.

"So if you weren't proposing to Katara, then…."

All heads turned toward the person standing next to Katara, also in front of the ring.

"YOU LOVE SOKKA?!"

A bush was evident on the earth bender's face as he slowly nodded his head.

It seemed that lately the Spirits liked playing tricks on Sokka. Many things had been happening, but not the way the warrior had expected…. Then again, Sokka thrust himself into a life of surprise the moment he left his familiar block of ice to travel with the Avatar.

But still, Toph flirting with Haru, Aang confessing his love to Katara, and now Haru liked _him_! Things were getting pretty twisted around here, although Botan would be pretty happy to learn Haru was gay…

All this talk of love made him think of a certain moon princess who was _supposed_ to watch over them and make sure these things never happened. Now, Sokka was positive.

This was a joke, and all the Spirits were up there laughing.

Aang was unaware of his hand still clenching Katara's as he watched Sokka tilt his head back, so his gaze was on the sky, toward the moon.

"IT'S NOT FUNNY, YUE!"

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_**Note:** Whew! Finally done! There it is, chapter 7, pt. 2 of 'Affections'. 18 whole pages on Microsoft word! This chapter took a long time to write, but it is probably my favorite yet. This is the longest piece of writing I have ever made, but as a reader I like chapters to be long._

_Please review and tell me how you liked it. Also, in your reviews I would like you to vote on the ending to this story. As of now I'm not sure how long this will be, but I do have some sort of ending in mind. If you review (which I hope you do) tell me if you would enjoy a kind of 'bitter sweet' ending, a purely 'happiness and sunshine' ending, or a sad one._

_A giant thanks to Keshii, who came up with the idea for this chapter, read through and assured me she liked it, and listened patiently while I went on and on about how bad of a writer I am.! I couldn't have done this without you! "Affections" is dedicated you!_

_Sorry if Toph seemed a little OOC or mean in this, but she had to be for the story to work. I promise to get more in depth with her and add some Tokka in the next few chapters._

_Thanks a bunchles for reading, and please review!_


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